3Photo© hindustantimes.com25-year-old engineer linked to Elon Musk has direct access to federal payment system: Report
The US Treasury said Tuesday that Elon Musk's government reform team can read data from its highly sensitive payment system but not alter it, after Democratic lawmakers raised the alarm over the move and called for an investigation. Musk, the world's richest person, is leading President Donald Trump's federal cost-cutting efforts under the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
As part of that drive, he reportedly pushed for a team led by IT executive Tom Krause to be given access to the Treasury Department's closely guarded payment system, which handles trillions of dollars of transactions, from Social Security and Medicare payouts to federal salaries.
In response, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden sent a letter Tuesday to the congressional watchdog agency demanding it probe reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had personally granted Musk and his aides that permission.